Following changes at the national and regional level, the Tauranga Hockey Association (THA) is now working on a performance strategy piece to ensure that THA is well equipped to provide the right programmes and support to our community moving forward.

To register to attend a THA community workshop on 19 or 25 March: Click here

Over the last three years, Hockey New Zealand (HNZ) has undertaken a Strategic Delivery Review to ensure the way hockey is delivered in this country aligns with their 2020 strategy.  As a result of this there have been a number of changes including the removal of regional tournaments and the implementation of a new Performance Network programme.  For more information on these changes, please visit the following link to HNZ’s website: Click here

One of the biggest changes to come out of the Strategy Delivery Review is the role of regional bodies such as Midlands moving forward.  Midlands, made up of the Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Thames Valley and Counties Manukau associations has been responsible for developing the region’s top talent and preparing teams to participate in regional tournaments such as the National Hockey League (NHL), Under 21s and Under 18s.  With the removal of these tournaments and the role of regional bodies no longer featuring in HNZ’s plans, the five member associations have decided to put Midlands into hibernation by winding down its operation.  For more information on this, please refer to the following link: Click here

As a result of these changes, the THA Board has made a commitment to develop a strategy in the performance space to ensure THA is providing the right programmes and level of support to our athletes, coaches and officials to assist them with progressing through the hockey pathway.  Dave Clarke from Sport BOP is helping to help facilitate this process and the Board held their first meeting in December to get this process underway. 

The next step in the process is to engage with our community by holding a series of consultation sessions to collect information to help shape the final strategy.  It is important that we cover a wide spectrum to get this right and we will be holding targeted sessions with various groups as well as open sessions to ensure we obtain as much raw data and information as possible.  Information on the consultation process will be available shortly and we encourage anyone (whether player, coach, official, administrator, parent or supporter) to attend to help shape the path forward.  Once the consultation process is completed, a draft strategy will be circulated for community feedback before going to the Board for final sign off. 

We look forward to working with our community to develop this strategy which will underpin how we deliver the game of hockey in the performance space moving forward.

Article added: Tuesday 25 February 2020